Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1519846
even ones who are passionate abo- ut the matter of individual kit. It is a righteous move. These people are following the trends in the area that is about to be covered by the MoD. What needs to be pointed out is that in many cases, that group closely follows the new trends and develop- ment and has a major know-how at their disposal. Fortunately, the "Operation KITj" initiative has not been launched from scratch. The Tytan combat en- semble program is also underway (let us not mention the fact that the Tytan system was to be com- missioned completely in 2017). The Polish defense industry is also continuously working on its pro- ducts as well. There is a baseline here, available. Furthermore, tests of some elements, such as new uniforms, clothing systems, equip- ment, or ballistic plates, are done in the field. Some of the kit could be taken out of programs underway, either directly, or with some mods. Other elements would require desi- gn and testing stages, followed by subsequent implementations, while some should be provided by exter- nal suppliers. There is no sense in reinventing the wheel in some ca- ses, spending funds on costly and time-consuming R&D processes, as some equipment can be easily procured from reputable manufac- turers, experienced in supplying relevant gear to armed forces aro- und the globe. Here, I am referring both to COTS/MOTS products, as well as technologies. To make mat- ters even more interesting, this has been the case for a few years now. It would be enough to expand these activities so that they cover the re- mainder of the elements - and that would be our home run. It remains obvious that Polish bu- sinesses, primarily the PGZ Group companies, shall be given priority here. These companies have the re- levant potential at hand, both in the design, as well as the manufacturing domain. Only after the domestic po- tential becomes insufficient, should the MoD ask the private businesses for help. Foreign suppliers may only come after these two steps. When it comes to the scope of the initia- tive, it may be assumed that asking private and foreign entities for help would be necessary. However, let me reiterate this, most of the effort can be accomplished by the Polish defense industry. It would also be desirable to listen to the end user, or the advisors, with attention paid to voices pointing to inventory gaps, or needs, and also one's referring to the gear tested. It would be an error to hold the fort like the Russkies in Bakhmut, cla- iming to be right, and claiming that the user is not competent, with sug- gestions being made that the best equipment there is has been delive- red, and no better options exist. Per- sons responsible for the initiative need to listen closely. I am not cla- iming that 100% of opinions will be valid, as they will vary, or even con- tradict one another. But this is the reason for the inclusion of external experts, right? The military institutions involved also cannot be sanctified here - they may not have complete know-how, they may be unaware of the latest solutions, or they may simply err. The latest upgrade of field uniforms is a good example here - three changes that were proposed back in 2009 (when working on the wz. 2010 uniform) were introduced. Back then these changes were unimplementable. 15 years later they are an upgrade. The initiative needs to be founded upon massive cooperation and good coordination of the underta- ken actions. Only that path has a chance of succeeding. The icing on the case is that the operation is not just about the repla- cement of gear, and filling the inven- tory gaps. Have I said already, that the initiative is quite broad? Multi-faceted systemic changes are also what is needed. TOE tables need to be changed, to eliminate ab- surdities such as white camouflage www.fragoutmag.com